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I changed the title to reflect the question: this is not about 'a' vs 'an' in general rather in the specific case of before abbreviations, where it's not clear whether the abbreviation is "unfolded" when read out loud.
Guy
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Should it be 'an' or 'a' in front of an abbreviation?

I am using abbreviations for well-known phrases: e.g., "Nash equilibrium" becomes NE and "neural networks" becomes NN. Should I use "an NN" or "a NN"? Does it matter whether a reader "unfolds" the abbreviation or not when reading? That is, I think it is often the case that NE is read "Nash equilibrium", then it seems appropriate to use "a NE".

Thanks!

Guy
  • 111
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